Description: There is a tired old social meme about relationship abandonment that went sort of like “Dad went out for cigarettes one night 15 years ago and never came back.” Now while the idea of people running away from relation ships is not new the ways people are doing the running away are changing. Have… Read more »

Description: Ok quick, don’t think just answer this question: What is the relationship between reason and emotion? Typically, our first reaction is to say that reason and emotion are in a bit of a tug of war. If you are thinking reasonably you are not being emotional and if you are being emotional you are… Read more »

Description: You have likely heard about research showing that the nature of our early attachment relationships with our primary caregivers have potential implications for our friendships go in grade school , our peer relations go in high school, our intimate relationships go in adulthood and what kind of parents we become if we take on… Read more »

Description: Ok imagine you are trying to get to know someone – someone with whom you might form a long term intimate relationship. Forget running your own version of a reality TV show (The Bachelor or the Bachelorette) but what sort of data would you want to gather as you contemplate moving forward with the… Read more »

Description: What sorts of things in our personal profiles make or break our relationships? Certainly religious differences might lead to us not pursuing a relationship — whether or not the other person wants children may be another such thing. But what about brand preferences? Coke or Pepsi? Think about how differences in brand preferences across… Read more »

Description: Do you love your smart phone? I mean really love your smart phone? Or perhaps think about it another way. How does your use of your smartphone over the course of a typical day impact your primary relationship(s)? If you are not sure about this think about people you have seen together at movies,… Read more »

Description: What is your birth order within your family? Were you an only child? A first born? A middle child? A youngest child? What about your friends or your partner? Think about your initial reactions or your stereotyped (off the top of your head) thoughts about how First, Middle, Youngest or Only children vary in… Read more »

Description: What do you think about people to post a lot of Selfies on social media sites? The title of the article linked below hints at a causal relationship between the taking of Selfies and problems in one’s relationships. Read the article and maybe have a look at the research article it refers to and… Read more »

Description: A number of years ago, a researcher by John Gottman made the claim that he could predict, based on a single observational session of a couple interacting with one another while talking about an issue that mattered to them, 94% accuracy within that couple but still be together in one year. He did this… Read more »